west 7th Archives - St. Paul Real Estate Blog

Even though I don’t like infographics I have always wanted to create one. I took some census data for the West 7th neighborhood in St. Paul and made created an infographic about housing.

The data suggests that houses in the West 7th area are old and there are more people renting homes than there are owner occupying. I did not put it on the infographic by about 1/3 or West 7th residents are spending more than 30% of their income on housing. Using my handy dandy mortgage calculator I can guestimate that monthly payments for renting are about the same as mortgage payments on a median-priced home.

I moved into the neighborhood more than 35 years ago mostly by accident. We had selected an apartment to rent in another neighborhood. I happen to run into our landlord and I told him we would be moving. When I told him where we were moving he suggested we look at an apartment he had available in the west 7th neighborhood.

We loved the apartment and lived in it for 7 years and liked the neighborhood so well that we bought a house a block away from the rental.

west 7th neoghborhood — west 7th info graphic

The West 7th neighborhood is sometimes misunderstood and people even get it confused with the West Side. West 7th street is West of Downtown St. Paul and sometimes called the West End.

It is a neighborhood that has it all including a wide range of housing styles and prices. You can live in a 69K condo or buy a 2.5 million dollar mansion in Irvine Park. Right now there are 32 homes to choose from. Some were build in the 1880’s or earlier and there is some new construction on the market too.

There are lots of parks in the neighborhood too as it runs along the Mississippi River. There are wonderful restaurants and businesses in the neighborhood too. Part of the neighborhood is just a block away from downtown and the Xcel Center. The neighborhood is a great choice for people who live downtown and who want to walk or bike to work or for people who work at United or Childrens Hospitals.

Recently a home buyer asked me if a home in the west 7th area is a good investment. There are no guarantees but I can show where homes in the area have appreciated and there are opportunities to buy older homes that need some work which can be a better investment than a home that is all fixed up.

The neighborhood is like a small town within the City of St. Paul. Residents tend to be active and engaged in the neighborhood. If you want to learn more about housing in the neighborhood just ask. I have live in the area for over 30 years.